4 December 2012

Dec 04, 2012

A pool of cold air is expected to see snow fall to as low as 1300m by Wednesday morning but it will lift quickly during the afternoon before clearing by evening. The cold air is associated with a high drawing cold southerlies into the south east of the state with the high keeping much of the remainder of the state dry and mild to warm.

Temperatures will increase rapidly by week's end with a hot day Saturday ahead of the next thundery trough which will introduce milder air as it passes across the state. Rainfall with the change is not expected to be widespread or significant apart from isolated heavier falls in parts of the northern coast and ranges and north east inland.

Another high moving east next week will trigger another return to warm to hot conditions by late next week.

By Wednesday a high will have pushed extreme heat back into the northern inland of the continent with temperatures in Queensland returning to near normal in most regions as a high in the Bight draws milder air across the state.

This high is also drawing cold air across the south east states with snow developing overnight in Tasmania and on the Victorian and New South Wales Alps but the air is relatively dry so most falls will be light and patchy. The coldest of the air moves through early Wednesday with snow mostly clearing later in the day. As the high moves east temperatures will rise quickly in northerly winds ahead of a trough triggering the next cooler change Saturday.

Unsettled conditions are triggering high heat and potentially severe thunderstorms in Western Australia but the heat will retract back to the north of the state as a trough and change cross the south west during Wednesday. Flood warnings have been issued for parts of the inland due to heavy falls from thunderstorms with further moderate to heavy rainfall with thunderstorms possible Wednesday before becoming isolated on Thursday. Models suggest heavy falls will return late in the weekend and into next week over the rain affected western inland.